Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an operational support structure for a telecommunications network,
A modern public telecommunications network comprises a highly complex network of communication links connected to each other at nodes. Such a network deploys a wide range of technologies and provides a wide range of services. Such a network requires an operational support structure comprising many different operational support systems which perform many different functions. The support systems cooperate to provide overall operations, for example providing and restoring services to customers. As the complexity of a network and the number of technologies deployed in it increases, the number and complexity of the operational support systems also increases. This creates the problem of arranging the support systems so that they can cooperate efficiently with each other and so that there is minimum duplication of databases.
According to a first aspect of this invention, there is provided an operational support structure for, and in combination with, a telecommunications network, said telecommunications network deploying a set of individual technologies and providing a set of services to customers of the network;
said operational support structure being divided into a set of domains each of which provides an individual management function for the network, each domain being implemented by at least one computer; PA1 each domain comprising at least one database containing data related to the management function provided by the domain, at least one system for performing operations related to the management function provided by the domain, said at least one system having access to said data related to the management function provided by the domain, and means for providing an interface between the domain and at least one other domain; PA1 said domains including: PA1 said operational support structure being divided into a set of domains each of which provides an individual management function for the network, each domain being implemented by at least one computer; PA1 each domain comprising at least one database containing data related to the management function provided by the domain, at least one system for performing operations related to the management function provided by the domain, said at least one system having access to said data related to the management function provided by the domain, and means for providing an interface between the domain and at least one other domain; PA1 said domains including: PA1 said operational support structure being divided into a set o domains each of which provides an individual management function for the network, each domain being implemented by at least one computer; PA1 each domain comprising at least one database containing data related to the management function provided by the domain, at least one system for performing operations related to the management function provided by the domain, said at least one system having access to said data related to the management function provided by the domain, and means for providing an interface between the domain and at least one other domain; PA1 said domains including: PA1 said operational support structure comprising a customer handling system, a service management system and an associated database containing details of the technology configurations which ere required to provide network services, and a set of element manager systems each of which is arranged to manage an individual one of said technologies; PA1 the customer handling system being arranged to receive a request for the provision of a new service from a customer and to transmit a request for the provision of a new service to the service management system; PA1 the service management system being arranged to receive a request for a new service from the customer handling system, to determine the technology configuration required using at least one of the technologies deployed in the network, and to send a request to at least one of the element managers to configure the network to provide the new service; and PA1 each element manager being arranged to receive a request from the service management systems to configure the network to provide a new service and to configure the network in response to such a request. PA1 said operational support structure comprising a customer handling system, a service management system and an associated database containing details of the technology configurations which are required to provide network services, and a set of fault manager systems each of which is arranged to manage faults in an individual one of said technologies; PA1 the customer handling system being arranged to receive a report from a customer rotating to a problem which has caused a loss of service and to transmit details of the problem report to the service management system; PA1 the service management system being arranged to receive details of a problem report from the customer handling system, to identify the technology which is causing the problem and to transmit details of the problem to an appropriate one of the fault manager systems; and PA1 each fault manager system being arranged to receive details of a problem causing a loss of service from the service management systems, to determine if service can be restored by reconfiguring the network, and, where possible, to reconfigure the network so as to restore the lost service. PA1 in a customer handling system, receiving a request for the provision of a new service from a customer and transmitting a request for the provision of the new service to a service management system; PA1 in the service management system receiving the request for the new service from the customer handling system, determining the technology configuration required using at least one of the technologies deployed in the network, and sending a request to at least one of a set of element manager systems to configure the network to provide the new service; and PA1 in the or each element manager system which receives a request from the service management system, configuring the network in response to the request; PA1 each of said systems being implemented by a computer. PA1 in a customer handling system, receiving a report from a customer relating to a problem which has caused a loss of service and transmitting details of the problem report to a service management system; PA1 in the service management system, receiving details of the problem report from the customer handling system, identifying the technology which is causing the problem, and transmitting details of the problem to an appropriate one of a set of fault manager systems each of which manages faults for a particular one of said technologies; and PA1 in the fault manager system which receives details of the problem causing the loss of service from the service management system, determining if service can be restored by reconfiguring the network and, where possible, reconfiguring the network so as to restore the loss of service. PA1 each of said system being implemented as a computer.
a domain for managing customer handling functions; PA2 a domain for managing instances of the individual services provided by the network; PA2 a domain for managing the individual technologies deployed in the network; and PA2 a domain for performing network management operations; PA2 the domain for managing customer handling functions including a customer handling system arranged to receive a request from a customer for the provision of a new service and to transmit a request for the provision of a new service to the domain for managing the individual services; PA2 the domain for managing the individual services including a service management system and a database containing details of the technology configurations which are required to provide network services, said service management system being arranged to receive a request for a new service from the domain for managing customer handling systems, to determine the technology configuration required using at least one of the technologies deployed in the network to provide the new service, and to send a request to the domain for managing the individual technologies to configure the network to provide the new service. PA2 a domain for managing customer handling functions; PA2 a domain for managing instances of the individual services provided by the network; PA2 a domain for managing the individual technologies deployed in the network; and PA2 a domain for performing network management operations; PA2 the domain for managing customer handling functions including a customer handling system arranged to receive a report from a customer relating to a problem which has caused a loss of service and to transmit details of the problem report to the domain for managing the individual services; PA2 the domain for managing the individual services including a service management system which is arranged to receive the details of the problem report from the domain for managing customer handling functions, to identify the technology which is causing the problem and to transmit details of the problem to the domain for managing the individual technologies; PA2 the domain for managing the individual technologies including a fault manager system which is arranged to receive details of a problem causing a loss of service from the domain for managing the individual services, to determine if service can be restored by reconfiguring the network, and, where possible, to reconfigure the network so as to restore the lost service, PA2 a domain for managing customer handling functions which includes a customer handling system; PA2 a domain for managing instances of the individual services provided by the network which includes a service management system; PA2 a domain for managing the individual technologies deployed in the network which includes at least one element manager system; and PA2 a domain for performing network management operations which includes a problem manager system.